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Cornstarch and flour are both great thickening agents, but they are also very different. A lot depends on the cuisine you are cooking and the time you have. According to MyRecipes, making a flour roux takes more time than a cornstarch slurry.
Flour starts to thicken at a lower temperature (126 F), but it needs to be cooked for much longer (about 20 minutes) in order to get the taste out. By contrast, cornstarch doesn’t have much of a taste, but you’ll need to get your sauce or gravy up to nearly boiling (180 F) before it hits its maximal thickening power.
Using cornstarch to thicken sauce is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together.
When deciding between flour and cornstarch for thickening stew, consider the desired outcome and cooking process. Flour is versatile and adds a subtle flavor to the dish, making it ideal for hearty stews and gravies. However, it requires longer cooking times to eliminate the raw taste.
How to substitute: Flour won’t thicken as well as cornstarch, so use twice as much flour as cornstarch. For best results, use all-purpose flour as opposed to whole-wheat flours because of their higher starch content. Cornstarch is a pure starch derived from the endosperm of the corn kernel.
Both flour and cornstarch can be used to thicken sauces or coat fried foods like fried chicken for a crispy exterior. However, cornstarch and flour have different flavors, textures, and thickening properties in the kitchen and should be used for different cooking situations.
Rapid Thickening: Cornstarch flour has an immediate thickening effect, making it ideal for quick and easy gravy preparation. Glossy Finish: It imparts a glossy and smooth texture to gravy, enhancing its visual appeal.
Although you can thicken a soup with both flour and cornstarch, we recommend cornstarch because it does not make the soup cloudy, as some flours can, and it does not bring a weird taste of “doughy rawness.”
Both flour and cornstarch are bomb ingredients for thickening sauces. Cornstarch lacks a taste and, when added to a sauce, it’ll create a glossy appearance while thickening. You also need less of the ingredient; when using cornstarch, use half of the amount you would use for flour.
In the realm of baking and cooking, white flour and cornstarch stand as two widely used ingredients, each possessing distinct properties that shape the textures and flavors of our culinary creations. As a thickening agent for sauces and gravies, cornstarch provides a smooth and glossy finish.